Rapid Task-Switching

September 24, 2010

I don’t multitask. Never have, probably never will. My brain just isn’t wired that way.

Instead, I practice something I read about a few months back – rapid task-switching. It’s a practice that looks like multitasking from a distance, but it’s actually a way of single-tasking by breaking larger projects down into a series of mini-projects. This way I can focus on knocking out a task for one project, then shift it to the back burner and pick up a task for another project, and so on. I’ve found it’s a great way to deal with a lot of projects more or less simultaneously without going insane.

And I’ve been doing a lot of rapid task-switching lately, both at work and at home.

Case in point – the model bench.

At the moment, I’ve got four different builds going on. I didn’t exactly plan it this way. My intention was to build Nolan and Lola’s Wildcats simultaneously, since, apart from the tails and metal finishes being used, the builds are identical. But then those got sidelined waiting for parts, so I kicked off the Zvezda Lavochkin La-5 to fill the void.

While I was at it, I also started in on the Eduard Yakovlev Yak-3. First, because it shares cockpit and underside colors with the La-5. Second, because it’s a very simple kit with relatively few pieces.

And now, they’re all progressing in sort of mini-builds.

The Wildcats are certainly the farthest along. As of now, the wings, cowls, and fuselage bands have been painted orange-yellow, and the engines and cowls have been installed. Next comes masking, then the black pinstriping for the cowl and fuselage bands, then primer, then a polishing sand, then the metal finishes.

The La-5 and Yak-3, meanwhile, continue to progress through the cockpit build phase. So far, everything is going great with these two kits. Both are completely different from one another. The Yak is about as simple as a kit can get, but still boasts Eduard’s typically crisp detail. The Lavochkin, on the other hand, is almost absurdly complex, requiring that you build out the full internal structure of the aircraft, though, remarkably, all this complexity leads to a wonderful fit. And the detail Zvezda’s put into this kit marks them as a major up-and-comer in the industry.